Saint Joseph Catholic Church

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The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) asked the administrator of the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to reconsider the announced rollback of fuel-economy standards.

“The Catholic Church’s social teaching calls us to safeguard human life, promote the common good, and protect creation for current and future generations,” said William Quinn, the USCCB’s general counsel. “The USCCB respectfully urges the NHTSA to reconsider the proposed rollback and to pursue approaches that genuinely improve affordability while preserving and advancing the nation’s commitment to fuel efficiency and environmental responsibility.”

The Vatican newspaper reported that students from Holy Innocents School in Long Beach, California, met with Pope Leo XIV at the conclusion of his February 11 general audience.

“Students and teachers from Holy Innocents School in Long Beach, California, greeted the Pontiff at the end of the audience,” L’Osservatore Romano reported. “They are recovering from the horrific experience of February 2, when the institution was subjected to vandalism, with the tabernacle desecrated, the statue of the Virgin Mary broken, and liturgical books spilled onto the floor.”

Decrying the “relentless wave of killings and abductions that continue to plague our nation,” the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria issued a statement, “The Cry of the Innocent: Stop This Slaughterhouse.”

“Silence in the face of such horror as we now have in Nigeria can hardly escape being labelled as complicit,” the administrative staff of the bishops’ conference said in its February 7 statement. “Every unaddressed attack, every unpunished crime, and every unfulfilled promise deepens the wound of mistrust between the people and those entrusted with their protection.”

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India called for the repeal of laws that are inconsistent with the right to religious freedom recognized in the nation’s constitution.

“As many innocent individuals are incarcerated based on unfounded allegations of forceful religious conversions, we strongly demand the repealing of legislations which are inconsistent with religious freedom and [the] right to privacy,” the bishops said in their statement, issued at the conclusion of their February meeting.

The prelates also encouraged the nation’s faithful to offer “credible public witness”:

Each time our faith is questioned, or our Christian way of life is confronted, we are presented with a providential moment to deepen our relationship with Christ, who unfailingly grants us the grace needed to persevere (cf. 2 Cor. 12:9). Instead of being silenced or withdrawing from our mission, we are urged to live our Christian identity with courage and conviction, so that the fragrance of Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 2:15) may permeate every aspect of society, inspiring hope and promoting unity among all peoples.